In the aftermath of horrific events like 9/11 or yesterday's bombings in London, we search desperately for the answer to a single, simple question - "Why?". It's a way of seeking some sort of logical order amidst chaos and confusion, for our species is not particularly comfortable living without order. It's also a means for identifying who or what to direct our anger and anguish towards, for these are powerful emotions that are directly associated with action ("I'm so angry… I've got to DO something!). I understand the need for the search - I do it myself… but it occurs to me that it's a very frustrating, and possibly fruitless, undertaking this time, unless we step a bit outside our normal comfort zone.
This is NOT a political commentary. Politics are a touchy subject that Clancy and I have learned to steer clear of as much as possible. We rarely see eye to eye, and I get very emotional in a discussion. I guess my politics are extremely personal to me - not a matter to be worn on my sleeve for all the world to see, nor something that I feel I should have to justify or explain to anyone else. That being said, I have some thoughts about human nature bouncing around in my head that seem to help me put some context around what is happening in our world. I don't agree with it… I don't condone it… I am no less affected and horrified by it… but context helps me to put a different kind of order around the chaos. Call it food for thought.
In searching for an understanding of why someone would conduct mass terror, we apply our own basic sense of logic in assessing the enemy's motives and goals. This is a mistake. These people have a sense of logic, yes… but it is so vastly different than ours that it's nearly impossible for one to understand the other. Huh? Some examples of what I mean...
• We are dealing with religious fanatics. To these people, there is no separation between religion, government, society, culture or self. It is all one and the same, and they don't understand how we can separate these things any better than we can understand how they cannot.
• Because there is no separation between religion and self, these people do not place the same value on a single human life as we do. In fact, they place no value on a single human life - not their own, nor anyone else's. Protecting and/or advancing the religion is ALL that matters when there is nothing else.
• Without a true sense of self, there is no comprehension that a single person can make a difference or affect change. There is no understanding of the ideals of freedom or democracy. Again, protecting and/or advancing the religion is ALL that matters when there is nothing else, and what greater threat is there to the religion than individuality?
• There is no room for tolerance in religious fanaticism - no room to have different thoughts and opinions. In fact, the fanatic sees only two types of people in this world - those who agree with him and live life as he does, and those who don't… the infidel. He can't understand the infidel at all - for his religious tenants are ALL that he knows and the foundation of everything he is. If you don't agree, if you offer alternatives, you are a threat to the only identity he knows. You are the enemy.
• To a religious fanatic who is driven only by the desire to protect and advance his religious beliefs against his perceived enemies, "life" is nothing more than a fight - a "holy war". A holy war that has been fought for hundreds, if not thousands of years. So now you have a person with no sense of self, with no sense that he can actually make a difference, fighting a "war" that was started long before his birth and that he cannot imagine winning in his seemingly inconsequential lifetime. This is where 'martyrdom' comes from. The highest achievement he can hope for is to inflict as much pain on the enemy as possible at some point in time, and to keep the way as clear as possible for others to do the same.
It's almost impossible for us to understand how someone can think this way, isn't it? We value human life, freedom, individuality and tolerance. We are willing to give our lives to protect these things for ourselves and others. This is every bit as strange and incomprehensible to the religious fanatic as we are to him.
In the context of the religious fanaticism we are faced with, terrorist acts like bombing the World Trade Center and London make sense. It is an attempt to maximize damage to the perceived 'enemy' and keep the 'holy war' raging on. In the context of our own ideals and morals, it is barbaric and senseless murder. Never the twain shall meet.
I realize that I am grossly oversimplifying a very complex psychological state and I don't claim to have any sort of expert knowledge. These are my own personal thoughts and I don't really expect them to make sense to everyone. They do, however, make sense to me - though, and this is critically important, IN NO WAY AM I ATTEMPTING TO JUSTIFY OR EXCUSE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. It shakes me to the core of my soul, as it should everyone. I am merely trying to illustrate the idea that not everyone thinks the way we do - not everyone is driven by the same goals and desires that we are… and in order to understand how people can do such evil things, we have to step outside of our own context and into theirs. It's extremely uncomfortable and probably only possible to a very limited point… but it's the only way to even begin to grasp why some things happen.
So what is to be done? I don't know.
I know that terrorism and religious fanaticism have existed from the dawn of mankind and will continue to exist for as long as someone feels persecuted… and I suspect that someone will always feel persecuted.
I feel strongly that while the expectation that we will "defeat terrorism" and someday wake up in a world where we can feel completely safe makes for good headlines, it sets us up for terrible disappointment and disillusionment because it can never truly be achieved.
I worry that some people really believe that you can build Gitmos and Abu Ghraibs and "lock up" all the bad guys to defeat the movement and kill the fanaticism. Imagine if religious fanatics overran our way of life with the expectation that we'd abandon our values of freedom and liberty. Would it work? No way! There would be no end to the number of people willing to give their very lives to fight for what we believe in and to help others do the same.
Does this mean that there is nothing we can do? I don't think so. I think that change is possible, but it takes generations, not months or years. It lies in showing people that they are worth something - that a single life does matter - that it is possible for religion to co-exist alongside government - that people with different beliefs and/or backgrounds can live alongside each other in tolerance and understanding. It is a noble undertaking but we should in no way delude ourselves into thinking that we are the masters who have it all figured out. This week in the news there were multiple stories of people being beaten or killed because of the color of their skin - white and black. And ask any practitioner of a pagan or wiccan religion just how much religious freedom they feel they have in this country… No, we cannot get too sanctimonious in this endeavor… but we are on the right path towards an evolution - and we certainly cannot just sit by and let our way of life be cut down by explosions and religious rhetoric. But please… let us understand the 'battle' for what it is, and have realistic expectations about what can be accomplished. And let us look beyond tomorrow or the next day or the next day for the solution, for our situation did not evolve in a matter of months, and it won't be resolved that way either.